Crawford International Lonehill Preparatory (Johannesburg)

Ah, Crawford International Lonehill Preparatory. Already sounds like the kind of school where the kids arrive in a Range Rover but the parents tell everyone they "just drive it for the space." Lonehill, Joburg, very nice, very northern suburbs energy, where every second complex has a name like "La Bella Vista" and everyone is definitely not showing off. Crawford International. International. In Lonehill. Bra, international where exactly? The Woolworths Food across the road? The name is working harder than the Grade 7s on their science projects. But okay, we hear you, you want the kids to feel like citizens of the world while still being dropped off on William Nicol. It is a co-ed primary school which is genuinely fine, boys and girls learning together, very progressive, very healthy. We have no complaints there. What we do want to know is what makes it so "International" because that word is carrying a lot of luggage for a prep school in a Joburg suburb that probably still has load shedding three times a week and a WhatsApp group where parents argue about the tuck shop menu. Overall verdict: Sounds fancy, smells like money, probably gives a solid education, but "Crawford International" in Lonehill is just Northcliff with a passport it has never used.